— Reece Coren
“As someone who grew up studying contemporary European styles and viewing art through that lens, Yanez said she tries to decolonize art through her illustrations. ”
— Reece Coren
Whether it is a painting of her grandmother’s strength or a mural painted by farmworking youth, each piece carries the same weight: identity, healing and hope.
From her portraits to her programs with children, Yanez is blending culture and community, proving that art can be both deeply personal and profoundly transformative for Santa Maria.
— Crystal Bermudez
““A lot of my art is about showing the reality of our Brown and Indigenous communities,” she explained. “It’s not about romanticizing suffering but about honoring the truth of what people experience, especially farm-working families.””
“Today she uses both to create art for herself and others by commission, through her job as a freelance illustrator. Between that and her role as art program manager at Corazón del Pueblo in Santa Maria, Yanez’s life is wall-to-wall art, so to speak.”
— Caleb Wiseblood